Amy Young from Berkeley takes a picture of musicians Love Language at Bottom of the Hill in San Francisco, Calif., on Thursday, April 9, 2009. At left is Zach Parola from Davis, and Ella Danilyuk, from Fresno who came to see Headlights.

State alcohol officials vowed this week to work with legislators and San Francisco business owners to protect a number of all-ages music clubs that have come under fire recently by the agency.

At a meeting between State Sen. Mark Leno and Alcoholic and Beverage Control chief Steve Hardy, Hardy made a commitment to working toward a resolution, both sides said.

The announcement comes days after a Chronicle story detailed a crackdown on some of the city's most famous music venues, including the Great American Music Hall, Slim's, Bottom of the Hill and Cafe Du Nord. Club owners said the ABC has been making demands on the businesses that threaten their livelihood, including requiring that half of all sales come from food. The ABC licenses all businesses in the state that sell alcohol.

Attorneys for the clubs have accused the state agency of abusing its authority.

"It was a positive meeting," said Leno, D-San Francisco. "(Hardy) came out wanting to work with me ... and said he is anything but interested in seeing businesses close."

Leno said Hardy acknowledged that ABC officials currently have broad leeway in interpreting licensing requirements. The two men discussed writing legislation that would clarify the requirements for these kinds of businesses or possibly create a new type of license.

Hardy agreed, saying through a spokesman that the ABC is "going to work hard toward a resolution" and that if the senator proposes legislation, they will work with him on it.

It's still not clear what will happen in the individual cases the ABC has brought against the clubs, but Tim Benetti, co-owner of Bottom of the Hill, said he was thrilled to hear of the meeting.

"I couldn't be happier - after 15 months of this weighing on my mind, if we can work something out that would be fantastic," he said, adding that he hopes the case against his club is resolved quickly. "I'd like it if they created a new license."